Aftermath
by ambigousAnonymity
Summary: Yuuko is gone, Fei Wong Reed has been defeated, the shop, having served it's purpose, is dying, and Watanuki is very, very ill. Shameless hurt/comfort, Douwata.
1. Start to Fade

Author's Note:

Just a brief introduction to this piece: this takes place right around chapter 187, so spoilers up until then. I took some very minor liberties, which will be eplained vie AN's at the end of each chapeter, but for the most, it's canon. Basically, the shop is no longer needed for it's intended purposes, and is breaking down. So read, enjoy, and send me comments, because comments equal love, and love equals faster chapters! Warning: very shameless H/C. Shameless.

Watanuki sighed, and brushed his bangs out of his eyes, several fine black stands coming away with his fingers. It had been five years since Yuuko had left him the shop, and it seemed to miss her more then he did.

Lately it seemed as if the shop was falling into disrepair - once vibrant and dramatic, the shop now seemed old and faded, with faded, flaking paint, squeaking hinges that no amount of oil would fix, and a roof that whistled in the wind, and leaked with heavy rain, and nothing that Watauki or Doumeki did seemed to repair it, and the twins, Maru and Moro, were of no help, sleeping 75 percent of each day.

"Oy. You done with that?" Doumeki asked, pointing to the paint cans Watanuki had plopped on floor by the door.

"Mm?" Watanuki replied. "Oh, yeah. The shutters are still drying, so don't touch them, alright?"

"Sure," Doumeki said, nodding his consent. "What's for dinner?"

"You and your stomach. Don't you ever think about anything other than food?"

Doumeki just stared at Watanuki.

Watanuki sighed.

"I don't really feel much like cooking tonight. I was just planning on getting take out. You don't mind, do you?"

Doumeki shook his head.

"Alright then. The fox spirit has an oden stand the street corner, you should be able to see it through our shared eye. Tell them I say hi, ok?"

Doumeki just nodded.

Truth be told, it saddened Watanuki that he couldn't go to the oden stand himself. It had been years since he'd seen the little fox spirit, and he wondered if it had grown as much as Kohane-chan, if it could grow at all...

"Oy. You. Wake up."

Watanuki blinked his eyes open. "Hmm?"

"I've got the food. You ready to eat?"

"Ah? No, I'm not hungry...why don't you just eat without me?"

Doumeki raised his eyebrows.

"No, really, I'm tired. I'll think I'll just go to bed..."

Without warning, Doumeki sat down on the lounge next to Watanuki, and wrapped an arm around him, pressing his fingers into the back of Watanuki's neck.

"You've got a fever. You should rest."

Watanuki turned to face Doumeki. "You do realize that I just said I was going to bed, right?"

Doumeki didn't say anything, and Watanuki sighed. "Don't be up too late," Watanuki said, as he walked slowly the room that served as his and Doumeki's bedroom. "You have classes in the morning."

"Hn." was his only response.

When Watanuki awoke, he became aware of three things. The first was that it had begun to rain, and the roof was leaking _again_ (but not in the spot he had repaired the day before, and he couldn't decide whether to be pleased or irritated about that). The second was that every inch of his body was incredibly sore, and the third was that it was still incredibly dark outside. He coughed softly, waking the young man that was lying beside him.

Doumeki blinked sleepily before looking at Watanuki, who had curled his body into the pillows, and was trying, very desperately, to stop coughing.

Silently, Doumeki pulled his ill boyfriend into a sitting position. When the smaller man (or boy? Doumeki wasn't sure, noting that Watanuki hadn't aged a day since he had inherited the shop) had stopped coughing, Doumeki handed him the glass of water that had been sitting there since he had gone to bed.

"How long?" He asked.

"What?"

"How long have you been feeling ill?" Doumeki questioned.

Watanuki sighed. "I don't know. A while?"

"You should have told me."

"I didn't think it would get this bad."

"Hn. Go back to bed."

Watanuki curled back into his sheets, wrapping them tightly around him.

"Go back to sleep. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

With that last statement, Watanuki pulled the pillow over his head, and was soon dead to the world.

Doumeki slid a cool hand over Watanuki's forehead.

"You've still got a fever," he murmured.

"I know," Watanuki replied, coughing harshly.

"And your cough is worse."

"Mm." Watanuki attempted to bury himself in his pillows, but Doumeki's hand, still firm on his forehead, held him in place.

"Do you have any clients today?"

"Just one, I think. The girl who came on Monday? She should be back today." Watanuki pulled the pillow out from under his head and over his face.

"Are you sure?" After three ** years of living with Watanuki, Doumeki still had not gotten used to Watanuki knowing what would happen before it happened.

"Mmrf - Ah!" Doumeki had pulled the pillows away from Watanuki's face.

"Well?"

"No, I'm not sure," Watanuki admitted. "I can't See * very well today. I think my cold must be fogging up my sight."

Doumeki raised his eyebrows.

Watanuki sighed.

"I know what you're thinking. And yes, I'll be fine here alone. You have to go to University today. I'm just going to sleep. Maru and Moro will wake me up when the customer arrives. And before you ask, yes, I'm sure." With that last statement, Watanuki curled into a ball and tugged all the blankets from the futon around him, forming his own little nest.

Maru and Moro came over from where they had been playing in the corner of the room.

"Master is not well," they sighed.

"No, he isn't."

"Still awake," Watanuki grumbled, from his place on the futon. Doumeki ignored him.

"I'm leaving," Doumeki informed them. "Look after him for me."

Mokona bounced into the room, landing on the futon.

"Don't worry! Mokona will take good care of Watanuki-sama! If Mokona didn't, and Watanuki died, who else would make such wonderful feasts!"

"Maru and Moro will help!" They chimed.

Doumeki picked up his briefcase and walked out the door. Not even a minute after the door slammed, Watanuki was fast asleep.

Author's Note

Well, I hoped you liked it. I uploaded it once before, and took it off the next morning because I realized I had screwed up the dialogue - not unusual, noting that I wrote it at midnight! So the dialogue is now fixed, and I extended the chapter a bit, so while it's still short, it's a bit longer.

* Ok, I'm 100% aware that Kohane brings letters from the old seer lady (does she have a name? I can't recall.) telling Watanuki if (and who?) his next client will be. But that's boring, and slow, and chancy. I like the idea of all of Watanuki essentially becoming Yuuko, so that's what I'm doing here. It was more interesting, and fits better with the story.

** I don't know the Japanese grade system, so my explanation lines up with the American, because I'm lazy. My dating system assumes that Watanuki was a sophmore (2nd year of high school) when he dropped out to take over the shop. Since Doumeki was in the same grade, I simply assumed he lived at home until he graduated (2 years) and then moved in with Watanuki. Also: the manga really doesn't specify whether Doumeki lives with Watanuki at the shop or not. The dialogue gives me the feeling that he doesn't live there (cite: "I am not the owner of this place" "Still, welcome home!" which seems to be bad translation for "I don't live here.") but from what I've seen of the raws, and the story, he spends one hell of a lot of time there, and for this fic, it honestly makes more sense for him to live with Watanuki anyways.

I AM AWARE THIS IS POSTED ON ANOTHER ACCOUNT. THAT ACCOUNT IS MY SECOND ACCOUNT. I AM MOVING BACK TO MY ORIGINAL.


	2. A Wishless Customer

"Master! Master! It's time to wake up! The customer is here!"

Watanuki shoved himself up from the futon. "Oh? Is she here yet, or is she walking up the path? More importantly, do I have time to change?"

"Change quickly, quickly!"

"I'll take that as a yes," Watanuki replied.

He changed as fast as he could, throwing his more comfortable night clothes over the futon, and had just draped himself languidly over the lounge when a young woman stumbled in through the front door, muttering softly to herself.

"What a strange way to set up shop - it isn't anywhere, just drifting in the middle of space!"

His eyes widened momentarily in shock. The woman was definitely not the girl he had seen coming. She was much older, closer to twenty-three then thirteen, and definitely was not at the shop because of boy troubles. All the same, she was a client.

"Come in," Watanuki called out.

The woman straightened, and walked into the room.

"I've been waiting for you," he informed her.

"You have not," the woman replied. "You were expecting a younger girl, thirteen or so, who visited you last week. She'll come tomorrow."

"Oh? And you know this for certain?"

"Yes."

"So you're a Seer, then? You wish is to be rid of your sight."

The young woman laughed. "No. While this gift has brought me many hardships, it has also solved many problems."

Watanuki raised his eyebrows. "Oh? If you do not want to be rid of your sight, what is your wish then? This is a shop that grants wishes, you must want something very strongly, or you would not have been able to enter."

The young woman frowned. "I don't know," she said. "There aren't many things that I want."

"Oh?," murmured Watanuki. "Then tell me, then Monou Kotori, what is it that you want?"

The woman laughed. "Oh, so you do know who I am. I was wondering... as for my wish, I wish for the happiness of my brother, and for Kamui, but they're working towards that on their own."

"Mm." Watanuki sagged into the pillows on the lounge. He was so tired…and this was not looking to be one of the simple wishes. "Where are my manners? I'm sorry, please have a seat. I didn't mean to keep you standing...Maru, Moro?"

Mokona bounced into the room. "They can't hear you. They're asleep!"

"Again?"

Mokona nodded. "It's taking all their energy just to hold the shop in place. Otherwise, it'd just float away!"

Watauki sighed. "Alright then. Mokona, can you fetch us the tea, please?"

"As long as Mokona can have some!"

Watanuki nodded his consent, and the small rabbit-like creature bounced into the kitchen.

"Can that thing even carry a tea pot?" Kotori asked.

"I've learned long ago not to question Mokona's abilities. It could probably do anything."

Kotori smiled, and leaned back in her chair. Just then, Mokona bounced in, balancing the teapot, three tea cups, and a tray of snacks on its head.

"The tea is ginger tea! And Mokona put honey in it, too!"

"Thank you, Mokona."

"No problem!" Mokona had finished pouring the tea, and passing around the cups.

"Such a sweet little thing," Kotori smiled.

"Don't be fooled by it. It's a horrible drunk and will go to any length to get its way."

"Really now?"

"Yes, really."

There was silence for a moment, as the both sipped their tea, the honey in the hot drink doing little to soothe the fire in Watanuki's throat.

Kotori appraised the young man in front of her.

"I'm sorry, but it just struck me now: isn't it rather awkward that you know my name, and I don't know yours?"

"Ah. My mistake. I'm very sorry. My name is Watanuki Kimihiro."

"April first?"

"My birthday. You know, I met an alternate version of yourself, a few years ago. A lovely girl, like you, except she wanted to be an indigo dyer."

Kotori smiled softly. "When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an indigo dyer."

"What made you change your mind, then?"

"My mother had cancer. She was diagnosed when I was a child, but she died when I was barely 16. Ever since then, I've wanted to make sure that no one suffered as my mother suffered. I want to help as many people as I can - that's why I'm training to become a doctor."

"Is that your wish then?" Watanuki sipped his tea, trying to suppress the coughs that were building in his chest.

Kotori laughed. "I suppose it is. But I don't see how that wish could be granted by this shop." She sipped her tea thoughtfully.

Watanuki could no longer suppress his coughing, and doubled over, one hand pressed to his mouth, the other to his chest.

With in a moment, Kotori was by Watanuki's side, holding him upright and rubbing his back as his lungs attempted turned themselves inside out.

Kotori called for Mokona, who came bouncing back in with in seconds.

"Please, please bring water," she asked it, and n less then a minute, Mokona bounced back in with the glass.

When he finished coughing, Kotori handed the glass to Watanuki, who took it gratefully.

"Well," Kotori said. "_That_ seems as good a reason as any for a young doctor to be able to enter this shop."

* This story is not set in the X universe, because obviously if it had been, Kotori would be dead, and where would that leave me? With out a dreamseer, that much is certain. Kamui and Fuuma are dead, cause that seems like something that CLAMP would do and that Kotori would wish for.

Author's Note

I am so sorry this took so long. The plot went under massive revision, and it makes sense now! Of course, that's not the reason I'm so late posting this. The reason I took forever to get this out is simply: I'm lazy. So I'm very sorry, but I do hope you enjoy this latest chapter, and as always, review!


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